WASHINGTON — If it’s Wednesday … Nikki Haley formally launches her presidential bid in Charleston, S.C., per NBC’s Ali Vitali. … NBC’s Craig Melvin interviews Haley in community unique to air Thursday on “At this time.” … Mike Pence visits Iowa. … Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., announces she received’t search re-election. … President Biden travels to Lanham, Md., to debate the financial system, deficit and debt. … And NBC’s Ken Dilanian confirms that the particular counsel investigating Donald Trump’s categorized paperwork is in search of to compel the previous president’s lawyer to testify earlier than a grand jury.
However first: Because the fictional Ricky Bobby declared, “When you ain’t first, you’re final.”
And that “Talladega Nights” expression helps clarify a presidential-campaign phenomenon we’ve witnessed over the past couple of cycles: There’s a profit in being the primary main non-frontrunning candidate to announce a bid — like Nikki Haley is doing in the present day in South Carolina.
You get just a bit extra consideration than the non-frontrunners who goes second, third or fourth.
Assume again to the 2020 cycle, when Elizabeth Warren was the primary main Democrat out of the gates, asserting earlier than Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar. Guess what: Warren ultimately completed third in that race to frontrunners Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.
In 2016’s GOP presidential contest, Ted Cruz was the primary main Republican to announce, and he finally completed second to Donald Trump.
Backside line: When you’re not Trump or Ron DeSantis in 2024, it helps to be the primary true non-frontrunner to get into the race.
As for the remainder of the potential 2024 GOP subject, Mike Pence in the present day is in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, opposing transgender-affirming public college insurance policies.
Tomorrow, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., holds a Black Historical past Month occasion in Charleston, S.C. — the identical metropolis the place Haley launches in the present day — earlier than heading to Iowa subsequent week.
And this week, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is delivering coverage speeches in D.C.
The 2024 presidential race — slowly, however absolutely — is selecting up pace.
Information Obtain: The variety of the day is … 5
That’s how many prominent Republican women have run for president, with Nikki Haley changing into the fifth GOP girl to hunt the White Home, in line with the Middle for American Girls and Politics at Rutgers College. General, Haley turns into the twenty fourth outstanding girl to run for president, per CAWP.
Greater than twice as many Democratic girls have run for president than Republicans, fueled largely by the crowded subject of Democrats who ran in 2020. A complete of 13 outstanding Democratic girls have run for the White Home in U.S. historical past, and 6 of them ran within the 2020 main.
Learn extra about previous feminine presidential candidates, and the way Haley burdened her gender in her marketing campaign announcement, on the Meet the Press Blog.
Different numbers to know:
6.4%: The annual increase in consumer prices in January, a slight lower month-over-month however above analysts’ predictions.
11.3%: The annual enhance in grocery costs in January, one thing that main grocery chains are trying to address with their suppliers.
100: The variety of President Joe Biden’s federal judge nominees the Senate has confirmed, hitting that mark on Tuesday with Appellate Courtroom Decide Cindy Chung.
$2.5 million: At the least how a lot the missiles used to shoot down the Chinese language surveillance balloon and the three different unidentified objects price, in line with NBC Information’ Daniel De Luce and Mosheh Beneficial properties.
$10 billion: The potential price ticket of recent U.S. assist to Ukraine as a part of a number of bulletins geared toward underscoring America’s dedication to the nation as its battle with Russia hits the one-year mark, per NBC Information’ Courtney Kube and Carol Lee.
6,000: The approximate variety of Ukrainian youngsters who’ve been relocated and despatched to re-education camps by Russia, per an independent study sponsored by the U.S. authorities that burdened the variety of Ukrainian youngsters “forcibly transferred” may very well be considerably larger.
8: The variety of years Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon led the nation earlier than she announced her intent to resign on Wednesday.
$5 million: The budget surplus welcoming first-term Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, as she joins eight different newly-sworn governors throughout the U.S. going through document funds surpluses, Politico reviews.
Headline of the day
Eyes on 2024: Feinstein makes it official
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., lastly made the announcement Tuesday that Democrats in California had been ready for — she will not run for another term and can as a substitute retire on the finish of 2024.
The writing had been on the wall. Distinguished California Democrats have already introduced they’re operating for Senate (with extra on the best way); former Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi backed a candidate (Rep. Adam Schiff) in case Feinstein wasn’t operating; and the 89-year-old senator raised simply $8,800 in 2021 and 2022, closing the yr with lower than $10,000 within the financial institution and a half-million in debt.
However the certainty now formally clears the sphere for what’s sure to be one of the vital costly (if not the most costly) primaries within the nation. And it’s one much less query looming over the Senate map forward of the 2024 election.
In different marketing campaign information:
Trump picks up one other endorsement: Freshman Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., who defeated Liz Cheney in final yr’s GOP congressional main, is backing Donald Trump within the 2024 presidential race, per NBC’s Garrett Haake.
New York frame of mind: New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told The Gothamist that she had a “pretty lunch” with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., amid rumors that the progressive congresswoman may problem the senator in a main. Gillibrand praised Ocasio-Cortez and stated she couldn’t “consider a greater adversary for [Rep.] Marjorie Taylor Greene” on the Oversight Committee.
Texas eternally: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, informed supporters he’s operating for re-election to the Senate in 2024, and he’s not operating for president, per the Houston Chronicle.
Chatting about China: South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem will ship a speech responding to the “menace posed by the Chinese language Communist Occasion” at the America First Policy Institute.
Present me your funds, I’ll present you your values: New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, who’s weighing a presidential run, laid out his funds priorities throughout a Tuesday speech, focusing explicitly on training licensing reform, housing and raises for state workers, per WMUR.
Second time a attraction?: Democrat Adam Frisch, who misplaced to Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert in Colorado-03 by a couple of hundred votes final yr, announced he’s running again.
Ballot place: Senate Management Fund, a brilliant PAC aligned with Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell, released a poll of the West Virginia Senate race exhibiting GOP Gov. Jim Justice within the strongest place towards Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, per Politico.
Casey undergoes surgical procedure: Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., underwent surgery for prostate cancer on Tuesday, and a spokesperson stated Casey’s physician “reviews that, as anticipated, the process went effectively and he confirmed that the Senator shouldn’t require additional remedy.” Casey has not but stated if is operating for re-election amid his most cancers prognosis.
Assist for Florida man: Membership for Progress, a conservative group, is endorsing Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and plans to spend to help Scott’s re-election, per Politico. The group additionally took a swipe at McConnell, who has criticized Scott’s proposal to sundown all federal laws after 5 years until reapproved by Congress, together with Medicare and Social Safety.
ICYMI: What else is occurring on this planet
Police are still struggling to identify a motive for why a gunman killed three and injured 5 on the campus of Michigan State College on Monday night time.
The U.Okay. and Qatar are helping with indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran over a possible prisoner alternate, NBC Information’ Dan De Luce and Abigail Williams report.
The three unidentified objects shot down over North America in latest weeks were likely commercial or benign, the White Home stated on Tuesday.
President Biden tapped Lael Brainard to move the Nationwide Financial Council on Tuesday, a place that may require Brainard to resign her present put up on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors.
